Horses — the Earliest Set

of the Great South America Traveler .

Here with the Title Text Unknown to Literature

Rugendas, Johann Moritz (Augsburg 1802 – Weilheim/Teck 1858). (Horses from the Royal Bavarian Stables. Drawn from Life and etched by J. Moritz Rugendas. Son. AUGSBURG, 1820. Published by J. LORENZ RUGENDAS. Father.) 6-sheet set, but see below. Etchings. 1819/20. Sm. oblong fol. (plate size 6½-7⅛ × 9⅛-9⅝ in [16.6-18.2 × 23.2-24.4 cm]). Inscribed with the respective names in the lower white platemark and, if applicable, with signature + date, see below, in the lower subject. In old heavy laid paper cover with mounted title cutting of the blue-grey original wrapper.

Teuscher 986-991 (“Stallions, Set of 6 sheet”) incl. illustrations not knowing the title and the three further sheets known here from another copy . – With the exception of T. 986 not in Stillfried. – Respectively one copy without title in Augsburg (State and University Library, colored) + Stuttgart (State Library), both with 6 sheets only , too . – The single sheet of the Munich printroom proven by Stillfried (1879) lost in the war. – Lacked in the important collections of books and portfolios on horses and horsemanship of Anderhub (1963) + Sarasin (1999).

Thematically picking up a family tradition for which the great-grandfather Georg Philipp I stands, of whom Wilhelm Schmidt wrote in ADB in 1889 “a first rate talent beyond doubt, for not to say a genius. Doubtless, set into better circumstances, e.g. living in the Netherlands about 1650, he would have become an artist who would have surpassed all his horse and battle competitors”. As Mori(t)z after first paternal training went into apprenticeship with Albrecht Adam, who on his part established an artist’s dynasty of horse and battle painters. In 1817 the admission into the Munich Academy followed where he devoted himself to the genre and landscape field under Lorenz Quaglio II. From those early years Teuscher probably lists only eleven graphic works after own invention (984-993 + 1311 as the portrait of the father), at which especially Nagler’s opinion – “fine sheets” – points in the Künstler Lexicon (XIV, 1845, items 1-2):

“ Single horses and groups as well as dogs , too ,

drawn and etched by Moritz Rugendas , oblong and sm. folio. ”

With the set here as center piece which in just the unawareness of

the cover title obviously documented here for the first time

Hämmerle defined vaguely in 1937 as follows:

“ This set should concern stallions or racers known at that time, presumably the origin of the suite goes back on an idea of A. Adam ”

(Albert H., [The Last Painters Rugendas, in Quarterlies for Art and History of Augsburg], 1937/III, pp. 1-110, note 51).

Alexander

Mor. Rugendas pinx. (?) et del. – 1819.

Bridled fleabitten grey with training saddle to the right in the passage before his box, from the left adjoining box the head of a bridled bay is greeting. – Unaware of the cover title Teuscher (1989) misinterprets as following by adopting E. Hubala’s (Augsburg Art Collections) written information of 1952:

“ … probably it is the school horse of Count Kessling, ‘Alexander’, also portrayed in several watercolors by Albrecht Adam. ”

Mameluc.

M in horseshoe – (in reflection) M. R. aqua forte fecit

Bridled bay horse to the left, tied up to the outer wall of the stable, the head turned to the left towards the beholder.

Cirus.

Moritz Rugendas 1819

Bridled and saddled black horse to the left in line of sight with the beholder, in the interior of a riding school and tied up at a pillar.

Colibri.

M Rugendas. 1820

(the inverted 2 read by Teuscher as 5). – Bridled bay to the right, tied up at the stable door.

Faitexprais.

J (?) M. Rugendas 1820

(the 2 read by Teuscher as 5). – Bridled and saddled grey horse to the left in the interior of a riding school, tied up between two pillars with a banner on top of each.

Defderdar.

Grey horse to the right on a little hill over an open field delimited horizontally at the left side by tender dense foliage, which here is only lightly sketched on the right side of the horse. The latter contrary to Teuscher, whose illustration shows a harmonious continuation, possibly even with embedded buildings, probably as an individual addition, as assumedly reproduced from the colored copy in Augsburg. If in such a way the impression here has to be considered as a proof or as being insufficiently dyed in that part has to be left undecided at present.

Four sheets above and below 1.5-2.7 cm (one only 1.5-1.8) and laterally 1-1.5 cm (one up to 1.8) wide-margined, two laterally 0.4-0.7 cm and only 1-2.5 cm and 1 cm resp. for above and below. The white platemark on its part mostly 1 cm wide. – Throughout only isolated weak little foxspots almost solely in the white margin, only one sheet somewhat more and in three edge corners additionally with faint tidemark as at one corner at a further one, too. – Three sheets with a 2.5-3.5 cm long tear out in the lower right margin repaired by old, in two cases including the white platemark wholly and half resp. A further one with two minimal tears outside of the platemark there. Nevertheless a good copy, indeed, worthy to increase your collection, first of all in respect of generally absolute rareness, but then and just as a dot over the i in respect of

the original cover title as not provable in literature hitherto .

Whose very touchingly family text regarding creator/publisher makes the coming up of that additionally just to an event.